Now that PATH has died, Patience and I have to find other ways to entertain ourselves. Free energy industry webinars! Some entity or other is always holding one. It's an excuse to fix a fancy luncheon (always served with cold beer), and fire up the laptop for some silly fun listening to blowhards toot their own horns while we make snide remarks, submit loaded questions, and laugh ourselves silly. Sometimes, we even pretend to be two different, independent organizations, while we're really just sitting across the table from each other, each with her own laptop connected to the same webinar. We call this "work" because there are always useful little nuggets to take away, even when the whole exercise is nothing but a spy mission to build our own arsenal (and an excuse to have lunch and drink a cold one).

I'm never going back to a traditional office environment. I figured that out last week at the corporate Christmas party I got roped into attending. Who are these people? And how did I manage to fit into that world for so long? My, how things have changed since I checked out. Apparently it's now the "in" thing to walk up to strangers at these Christmas parties and say, "Hi! My name is Corporate Lackey and I'm in Finance!" What is one supposed to say to that? "I'm still in "Finance" but I don't have to suck up anymore!" *smile* seemed to be a little rude. But, thanks for the great line, current day corporate finance professionals. I think I'll start using it when I do have to put on a suit and go places... "Hi! I'm in Finance -- yours! And something just doesn't smell right with those annual reports you've been submitting to the government." *smile*

Anyhow, today's fun fest was hosted by transmission owner sycophant Transmission Hub (sponsored by Quanta! *insert infomercial here*). Transmission Hub cracks me up... they continually tell these energy execs what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. And I'm sure they're paid handsomely to hold up that mirror in front of energy exec faces and simply repeat the idiot's words back to him or her. It's bogus validation of the highest order!

During the webcast, one of the sycophants told the audience that PATH was cancelled because of coal plant retirements. What? That had noting to do with it! PATH simply wasn't needed in the first place, and tanking demand due to increased energy efficiency, increased demand management, and low gas prices killed it for good.

Patience submitted a "question" calling them out on their misinformation. Much to our amusement, the moderator actually took up the question during the Q & A and admitted that PATH really wasn't cancelled because of coal plant retirements, and then he blamed Herling for the misinformation. Good thing the "mute" button was on because we couldn't stop laughing!

Y'all just keep on telling yourselves all those self-serving lies, now. Meanwhile, we'll be living in our real world "out-of-office" office and concocting your ultimate demise. *smile*

Was it really Herling who claimed that coal plant retirements killed PATH?

Reply

Patience

12/13/2012 11:45:36 pm

I don't know that it was the moderator - I think it was Randy Rischard, "VP of Data and Analytics" at Energy Central. Anyhow, he was the one who first said that coal plant retirements caused PATH and MAPP to be cancelled. So I submitted a question (more of a statement, really) asking how he could say that since, having been deeply involved in the PATH fight, I could say with confidence that plant closures had nothing to do with it. At the end of the webinar he indeed said that Steve Herling had attributed the transmission projects' failure to the closures.

In all fairness to Randy, I could easily envision Herling mouthing such BS. But Randy should have known better.

Reply

Keryn

12/14/2012 12:11:25 am

I thought that came in the second presentation about specific transmission projects given by Dumbeck? Not that it really matters. Those two might as well be the same person.

I did not say PATH was cancelled because of coal retirements. That's clearly not the case. It is extremely well documented on TransmissionHub - via 22 articles and the 26 actual source documents used for those articles -- why PATH was cancelled. TansmissionHub simply reports the facts on transmission projects and policy from a business perspective. Just because it does not report on your biases does not mean it has biases toward transmission execs. If it had biases it would not be credible. There is not one shred of information on TransmissionHub that is not supported by the facts and, in the huge majority of cases, the attached source documents.

Reply

Keryn

9/16/2013 09:59:47 am

Ha ha ha ha ha ha, Randy. You're a funny guy! I'll get back with you later about some of your articles that are incorrect, along with the source documents to prove you're wrong. Game on!

And I would also like to pass on a few observations about your recent comment on our story from last year:

"You mean he's only now discovering what we said?!? Damn, they really are out of touch with the real world!"

and

"What a clown. He probably came across it in his weekly google himself session."

Is that what Transmission Hub pays you to do, Randy, google yourself? You should do it more often then, so you find these "biased" articles when they're still fresh.

So, who did say PATH was cancelled because of coal retirements? It was said by one of you...

Reply

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About the Author

Keryn Newman blogs here at StopPATH WV about energy issues, transmission policy, misguided regulation, our greedy energy companies and their corporate spin.In 2008, AEP & Allegheny Energy's PATH joint venture used their transmission line routing etch-a-sketch to draw a 765kV line across the street from her house. Oooops! And the rest is history.

AboutStopPATH Blog

StopPATH Blog began as a forum for information and opinion about the PATH transmission project. The PATH project was abandoned in 2012, however, this blog was not.

StopPATH Blog continues to bring you energy policy news and opinion from a consumer's point of view. If it's sometimes snarky and oftentimes irreverent, just remember that the truth isn't pretty. People come here because they want the truth, instead of the usual dreadful lies this industry continues to tell itself. If you keep reading, I'll keep writing.